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Distinct memory traces for two visual features in the Drosophila brain

Author

Listed:
  • Gang Liu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences
    Graduate School of the Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Holger Seiler

    (Lehrstuhl für Genetik und Neurobiologie, Am Hubland)

  • Ai Wen

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

  • Troy Zars

    (Lehrstuhl für Genetik und Neurobiologie, Am Hubland
    University of Missouri, Columbia)

  • Kei Ito

    (The University of Tokyo)

  • Reinhard Wolf

    (Lehrstuhl für Genetik und Neurobiologie, Am Hubland)

  • Martin Heisenberg

    (Lehrstuhl für Genetik und Neurobiologie, Am Hubland)

  • Li Liu

    (Chinese Academy of Sciences)

Abstract

The fly Drosophila melanogaster can discriminate and remember visual landmarks. It analyses selected parts of its visual environment according to a small number of pattern parameters such as size, colour or contour orientation, and stores particular parameter values. Like humans, flies recognize patterns independently of the retinal position during acquisition of the pattern (translation invariance). Here we show that the central-most part of the fly brain, the fan-shaped body, contains parts of a network mediating visual pattern recognition. We have identified short-term memory traces of two pattern parameters—elevation in the panorama and contour orientation. These can be localized to two groups of neurons extending branches as parallel, horizontal strata in the fan-shaped body. The central location of this memory store is well suited to mediate translational invariance.

Suggested Citation

  • Gang Liu & Holger Seiler & Ai Wen & Troy Zars & Kei Ito & Reinhard Wolf & Martin Heisenberg & Li Liu, 2006. "Distinct memory traces for two visual features in the Drosophila brain," Nature, Nature, vol. 439(7076), pages 551-556, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:439:y:2006:i:7076:d:10.1038_nature04381
    DOI: 10.1038/nature04381
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    Cited by:

    1. Elizabeth B Brown & Kreesha D Shah & Richard Faville & Benjamin Kottler & Alex C Keene, 2020. "Drosophila insulin-like peptide 2 mediates dietary regulation of sleep intensity," PLOS Genetics, Public Library of Science, vol. 16(3), pages 1-26, March.
    2. Ishani Ganguly & Emily L. Heckman & Ashok Litwin-Kumar & E. Josephine Clowney & Rudy Behnia, 2024. "Diversity of visual inputs to Kenyon cells of the Drosophila mushroom body," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-18, December.

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